Wonderful character development!

Really Surprised!

Excellent, a Must See

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

This is a classic English comedy as the surreal opening sequence will show. We start with a lovely pan through the English countryside and end up a four poster iron bed, which is fully made in the middle of a field. When you're wondering what the hell is happening, out pops William (brilliantly portrayed by Kenneth More), who then has a nut dropped on him from a passing squirrel... But it only gets stranger when a beautiful and glamorous woman comes across the stream on stepping stones. She ignores William when he speaks to her and as she clambers over the style we see an approaching vehicle. When the land rover pulls up we realise that William is out on the field trying to catch a common cold. It's William's great good health that sets him on the route to being the first man on the moon.You have to remember that this movie was made in the '60's so most of the technology within the story is now incorrect and, at times, laughable. What made this such a good film for me was the acting. As not only do we have the great Kenneth More, who I can listen to and watch all day, but Shirley Anne Field is so beautiful and plays Polly brilliantly, then there's Norman Bird and Michael Hordern who add gravitas to the film.Secondly, there's the story which is well written with lots of believable and funny narrative along with realistic characterisations. For me, this is the way that comedy works best. Keep the characters solid and make the lines and situations comedic. Today, too many writers and directors like to have wacky characters - though, on the whole, they appear juvenile and pretty stupid.This isn't the best comedy, though it did raise a few smiles and laughs. I would gladly recommend this for an afternoons or evenings entertainment.

Did we really laugh at films like this? Strangely, yes, once upon a time. In this black and white non-classic, Kenneth More plays the semi-moronic William Blood who makes his living volunteering for medical trials. Until now, no one seems to have realised that Blood is a medical marvel himself, he doesn't get ill however they try to infect him, something that may be due to his laid back attitude.This prompts the British space research team (seriously) to recruit him for a trip to the Moon. The only problem is that this is purely a one-way trip, which of course Blood doesn't realise. Needless to say, things don't go quite according to plan. There is a minor sub- plot featuring a very blonde ingénue, who deserves that appellation in spite of her being a stripper by profession. "Man In The Moon" is all very tame but it does give a couple of good lines to one of its minor characters that will deserve to be remembered by Libertarians and philosophers long after the film itself is forgotten.

The concept that space flight is too dangerous to waste highly trained astronauts on is so splendidly British.Spike Milligan would have been proud to have thought it up.This forgotten film has many felicities,a cast of top-drawer English comedy actors and is beautifully photographed by one of the busiest cameramen in the business,Harry Waxman who shot around 70 films including the superb "Brighton Rock" and the cult classic "The Wicker man". Mr Kenneth More is cast as William Blood,the very epitome of hale and heartiness,who has never had a day's illness in his life,thus meeting the most important criterion set out by the British Space Programme. The lovely Miss Shirley Anne Field,displays a nice light touch as his nemesis.It seemed at the time that Miss Field might be at the start of a long career in comedy as a sort of "Liz Fraser with brains"character,but it never happened.Shortly after "The man in the moon" she made the serious "The War Lover" where she gave Mr Steve McQueen a run for his money. Mr More was a genuine copper-bottomed star.He was far more versatile than often given credit for.His "Freddy" in "The Deep Blue Sea" showed the depth beneath his eternal cheeriness.Critics were forced to take him seriously after TV's "The Forsyte Saga" ,but ordinary moviegoers had long recognised his qualities. Like Samson of old he is undone by a beautiful woman,falls in love with Miss Field and catches a cold. Those were the days when our space programme,such as it was,was based in Woomera where the only living things at risk from our falling rockets were a few kangaroos. We liked to think we approached space exploration with the Corinthian spirit but the fact is we were dabblers, the merest of amateurs compared to the Americans and Russians.To them - the glory.To us - Kenneth More sleeping on his iron bedstead in a field of cows.

If the British had ever mounted a moon exploration mission I wouldn't expect this film to be too far from the truth. Kenneth More plays Billy Blood, an everyman selected to be the first man on the moon by three crackpot 'NASTI' scientists who deem the trip too dangerous to be made by trained astronauts.There follows a series of experiments, three jealous astronauts, a stripper girlfriend and a baked beans tin in the Australian Outback...It's British, it's mad, and it's fanciful, if not a little wayward in parts..look out for a young Charles Gray enjoying himself as the upper-crust astronaut brainwashed into being Blood's new best friend..."I say chaps, I shouldn't have had that last bit of tea and toast before take-off"...